Part of the audience at Laidley. Nic is in the blue shirt at the back.

The author making a point! Note the cheat sheet so I don’t forget key points.

So it’s Sunday and I’m back in Brisbane and reflecting on my author talks at Laidley and Gatton on Friday. Click on the links to find out where these towns are. Gatton is best known for its agricultural college. As we drove through the area we were impressed by the neat rows and rows of beautiful healthy vegetables.

First of all a big ‘thank you’ to Nic in Laidley and Sue in Gatton – who made me feel very welcome. I was so impressed by the service these women and their colleagues provide their communities through their work in the public libraries, and by their friendliness and professionalism. Outstanding!

Having been to quite a few author events over the years – some well-known names with very big audiences – I had some idea what I should say – I found the best way was to have a few dot points that reminded me of what I should say, if I got off the track.

That seemed to work well but inevitably, afterwards, I thought about one or two other important points that I should have spoken about, but didn’t.

I can’t yet pack out a big auditorium but from my perspective the people who came along to hear me were warm, friendly and engaged, and asked some really good questions about writing, plot development, and the whole business of publishing.

My day job makes me much more qualified to talk about magazine publishing than book publishing so occasionally I did get off the track and wandered away from the topic.

The big thrill for me, as a first time author, was that readers liked my book and are waiting impatiently for the second one in the series. I resisted the temptation to give too many hints about where I am headed with the Belleville family ….. the fun of fiction writing is that they are my characters and I can decide how the story unfolds. (The arrogance of the author? Not really, but it’s fun to be in control.)

Thank you, Laidley and Gatton, for such a warm welcome …. and since I was widely expected to the have the draft of my second novel in my handbag, I’d better get on with it and stop writing this blog instead of writing my book!!